Kaman to continue K-MAX production

Kaman's Aerosystems division has extended production of the commercial K-MAX heavy-lift utility helicopter, the company announced on 14 June.

The company resumed K-MAX production in 2015 after a more than decade long hiatus with an initial commitment to build at least ten new aircraft. Now, continued demand in the helicopter will see production extended to at least 2019.

K-MAX is used for logging, firefighting, powerline construction and other missions that require repetitive aerial lift capabilities. Unmanned firefighting and humanitarian missions are also being developed and tested for the helicopter.

The single-engine, single-seat K-MAX features a counter-rotating rotor system and is optimised for external load operations and designed for vertical reference flight. The aircraft can lift up to 6,000lbs.